The One that I Love
by Rei Helen
Summary: A fluffy little continuation story after the end of the manga...Hikaru tries to make up her mind between the two men she loves, and a girl named "Solana" decides to use Eagle and a dance to get her "ex-boyfriend" back....
1. Default Chapter

The One that I Love __

This is fluff. But it was fun, fluffy fluff to write. No relation to my other Rayearth fics... __

The One that I Love

"C'mon, Hikaru! Make up your mind!" Umi began to hum the jeopardy song. "You can't have them both!"

"Why not? I--I think I love them both!" Hikaru protested. She tossed aside the petaless flower she'd pulled apart. "Lantis loves me, he loves me not. Eagle loves me, he loves me not...."

"Oh, Hikaru, you really aren't sure, are you?" Fuu added sympathetically.

"And we can't hold the wedding until she decides, and I'm getting damned sick of waiting!" Umi cried.

"Oh come on, Umi, we're still just fifteen. What's this about a wedding?" Hikaru asked, trying to shift the subject.

"We wanted to hold a triple wedding for the three Magic Knights. Ascot-san and Umi-san, Ferio-san and I, and--"

"If I do recall correctly, both Ascot and Guru Clef would be happy to marry Umi, and she's known them longer than I've known Lantis and Eagle. So why is it all right for her to deliberate over her choice, but not me?"

"You're not even deliberating! You're just taking them both for all you can get! A dozen roses on your doorstep every other morning, boxes of candy showing up mysteriously on your dinner plate...it's disgusting, that's what it is!"

"And yet that necklace you're wearing from Ascot isn't disgusting?" Hikaru wondered dryly.

"Well, he doesn't give me things every day..." Umi replied, touching the necklace self-consciously.

"Jiminey Christmas! I don't think I can choose! I want them both!"

"Maybe you do now, but what if you get married to both, only to realize later that you only really love one of them?" Fuu replied softly.

"What if I marry one of them, but find out that I love the other?" Hikaru replied. "Fuu, Umi, I don't know what to do!"

"Take your time," Fuu advised. "There's no hurry. Honestly, Umi."

Umi shrugged. "Sure, I've got my whole life to waste," she muttered grudgingly.

*

"First day I'm up and walking, and now it seems as if I can't stop." Eagle stumbled a bit as his legs got used to carrying his weight again, but on the whole, he was pretty much recovered.

As healthy as he could hope to be, anyway.

"Face it, Eagle Vision, you're no Lantis." Not that it was such a tough admission to make--he had never been as healthy as his friend. But there was more to be considered than that. Why was it so hard to resign himself to the fact?

__

Hikaru belongs with him. It's the way it has to be.

He didn't like that one bit, didn't believe a word of it--no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it was true. If he had to go down, it would be fighting.

He found himself panting. _Too much walking. Maybe I'm not as fit as I thought I was... must sit down..._ Eagle took a seat on the base of a fountain, one of the many that spurted from the garden he was in.

"Excuse me?" The voice was familiar, but Eagle couldn't place it. The same went for the face that peered at him through the fountain. Long, pale green hair framed a face that smiled sweetly at him. "Would you mind if I came and sat with you? I've been alone all day ..."

"That goes for both of us. Go ahead--it'll be good to have someone to talk to." 

The girl stood up, never ceasing that sweet smile that was incredibly beautiful--and familiar. But he couldn't place it for the life of him...

"So what brings you to this lonely place?" She sat down beside him. She was wearing some kind of light floral perfume that smelled as sweet as she looked.

"Well, actually, I've been unconscious for a few days, and I wanted a breath of fresh air."

"Oh, have you?" Her laughter was like bells. "Well, I've no such story to tell. Just an old one too often told. My boyfriend left me for another girl."

"A feeling I know..." He remembered the ways girls seemed to prefer the strong, handsome Lantis to his frail shadow. It had never been too much of an issue in their friendship, but such things tend to have a bearing on the mind. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Me? It's...Solana. And you? As you may have guessed, I'm new around here. This is all very unfamiliar." She seemed to think it necessary to get this point across, which Eagle thought a bit odd. But then, everything was odd these days...

"Eagle Vision. I--" He looked up to see someone standing in the gateway to the garden. Lantis?

"Oh, I--I'm late! I'm sorry, Eagle Vision, I'll look for you again sometime--I promise! Bye!" Solana stood up and dashed off, towards the opposite gate as the one Lantis was occupying. Eagle shrugged and headed for his friend.

"Bout time you woke up!" Lantis said cheerfully, giving him a friendly hug. And as no more than a friend, either--not to say that Eagle wished for more than friendship.

Well, not from Lantis, anyway.

"Say, who was that you were talking to?" 

"Her name was Solana. She says she's new here--but there was something familiar about her."

"Well, maybe we met her sometime back on Autozam or something."

"I don't know--she certainly didn't recognize me."

"Now that is odd." Lantis frowned. "Everyone in the palace has been worried about you--no one's stopped talking about you! She should have at least recognized your name, unless she is _very_ new here."

"It's not worth worrying about now. Shall we pay a visit to the Magic Knights? I should like to see how they are doing. Hikaru has told me a little, but..."

"Of course! I would have thought she'd be at your side the moment you awoke!"

"No...I kind of told her I wanted to be alone." Eagle looked at his friend and rival. _I haven't got a chance..._ But then he realized it was not Hikaru's face he thought of, but Solana's. And also the realization that something was missing.

"Where's the pixie?" Eagle added, changing the subject.

"I haven't seen her," Lantis replied, a bit surprised. "She disappeared a few days ago, all in a huff. And you know what?" He blushed, looking away for a moment. "You know, I kinda miss her. No more than as a friend, though," he added hastily.

"She has a temper, but I'm sure she'll come back. She can't stay away from you for long." 

"It's been days, and _no one's _seen her, you know." Lantis couldn't hide all the nervousness in his voice, not from his best friend. "Absolutely no one. I'm kinda worried." 

"Well, maybe the Knights will help us look," Eagle suggested. "Or Clef--his magic is good for seeing things."

"I already asked Hikaru." _Oh, I'll bet you did,_ Eagle added silently, hiding a wince of jealously. "But not Clef. He's been busy lately."

On the way to the wing of the palace claimed by the Knights, Lantis helped Eagle catch up on the goings on at the palace. Preparations for a celebration were being made, the only thing holding them back was waiting for Eagle's recovery. Now they could put the plans in motion for a grand ball, the likes of which had never been seen, even in Emeraude's day. Geo and Zazu, Tatra and Tarta, and even Asuka and company would be attending, with other guests from their respective homeworlds. They ran into one of these on the way--Eagle's aunt Mercedes, the official seamstress--and unofficial matchmaker--of Autozam. The plump woman embraced her nephew in a stifling bear hug.

"It's good to see you up and about, young man! You've grown! I'd say you're about a forty-one, now, give or take a half-terce."

"Aunt Mercedes..." Eagle moaned, blushing as she produced a tape measure marked in terces, the measurement unit of his homeworld. "I've got clothes enough for three men, and you're no doubt busy enough making dresses--" 

"No! Not at all! I've got helpers. That nice young girl Umi is helping me out, and Tatra, and even Asuka does some embroidery. And I've been through your wardrobe." Somehow that didn't surprise Eagle one bit--nor her tone of disapproval. Mercedes had always been his least favorite aunt. "You have nothing that will suffice for the grand ball to be held. I don't know how you are allowed to go about in such rags. Just like your father-- no taste for fine clothing." She continued measuring him, business-like, while Lantis hid a snicker behind his hand. Eagle glared at him.

"Can't you do this some other time, Aunt Mercedes? We were on our way somewhere..."

"It'll just be another moment, sweetie." Lantis snorted. "Let's see, forty-two, twelve, and..." she scribbled down another measurement. "Twenty-six. I'll see what I can do."

"Yes, do that. But I want to approve a design before you sew a single stitch on it," he added menacingly. "I don't want my eighth birthday to happen all over again."

Geo Metro and Zazu Torque, who had been eavesdropping on this conversation through a cracked-open door, now fell into the hallway, rolling and hooting in laughter. Even Lantis grinned, having heard the story. For his eighth birthday party, Eagle's aunt had designed a sailor suit so overdone with frills and ribbons he looked like a little girl. He still hadn't lived it down.

"Not polite to eavesdrop," Eagle said, his the only stern face in the hallway. His sweatdrop offset it nicely. "Very rude indeed."

"It's all right, man." Lantis patted him firmly on the back. Eagle, taken by surprise, nearly fell flat on his face, arms wheeling to regain his balance. This set Geo and Zazu off again, and his sweatdrop grew even more. Lantis was _giggling_, which looked rather bizarre for a man of his size and build.

__

I am no Lantis, Eagle sighed to himself, eyeing the giggling man, _but perhaps that is not such a bad thing._

*

Primera stalked sullenly around the room, clenching and unclenching her fists. That had been too close! But she told herself she was foolish. She had hidden somewhere Lantis--nor the Magic Knights--would ever think to look!

A curse on Lantis. How could he choose that Magic Knight over her? Always Hikaru this, Hikaru that--and the way both he and Eagle went on was enough to make a pixie sick. But at least now, Eagle was awake. They would put that party into motion.

"And I shall have my revenge!" she cried, then blushed, realizing she had spoken aloud. This would not do at all. She had to learn to better control her emotions. She still had to bide her time, and then...

__

Lantis, Hikaru, Eagle...you are all_ in for the surprise of your life._

* 

"Is Umi here?"

"What are you doing here? Get out of the way, we're busy!" Ascot found himself being pushed around by a rather...erm...large woman. "The dance is in a week, pal, and we're overloaded!"

"I just wanted to speak with Umi..."

"Ascot!" Umi appeared behind the lady who had first spoken to him. "Excuse me, Mercedes, it's a friend of mine. Do you mind if I speak with him?"

"You should tell your friends to stay out of where they don't belong. It's crowded enough in here as it is," Mercedes grumbled. "Fine, you may go. But keep it short."

"C'mon, Ascot." Umi led him out of the sewing room and shut the door behind her with a sigh of relief. "You came just in time. I was beginning to think I would go crazy in there! I mean, I like sewing, but after hours and hours of it..."

"You...you mean you're not upset with me for...for interrupting you?" That cursed stutter! He was trying_ not_ to sound like a child, damn it! But she was wearing his necklace...he touched the ring that was in his pocket, considering...no. Not yet. This was not the right time.

"Of course not! Though if I spend too long talking, Miss Mercedes will be angry. Not that I can't match her scream for scream." Ascot could believe that. Mercedes may have been big, but Umi was fiercer.

She looked so cute, having given up her school uniform for one of the dresses like the other seamstresses wore, with a white apron with several pockets bulging with spools of thread and needles and scissors. The other Magic Knights were doing the same, giving up their earth clothes in favor of Cephiran--well, ex-Cephiran--garb. One wouldn't have guessed that they came from another world--it was almost as if they had lived here all their lives.

"Well, I can be quick. I j-just wanted to ask you if you were--if you would like to, um, go to the ball with me?"

"Of course! You didn't think I'd go with anyone else, did you?"

"Well...no, not really..." He felt his cheeks get warm, then blazing hot as she kissed him.

"I'll talk to you later, but I should get back to work. So many people want new clothes for the dance! Asuka called in her chief seamstress, but there's so much work to be done..."

"I'm...I'm sure...there is," he stuttered even more that before, and he could still feel where she had kissed him, even as she returned to the room. He wondered how it could not be plastered on his cheek for all to see as he walked down the hallway, nodding to Ferio and some others he barely knew. They looked at him no differently. 

But...but Umi had...k...k..._kissed_ him! He reached the area--a former garden--that he shared with his creatures, and collapsed into the soft grass with a sigh of utter bliss. From there he drifted off into daydream. 

*

"Shall be lifted--nevermore!" Fuu finished her softly spoken recitation at the same instant she finished hanging a banner of thick, silky gold ribbon around the perimeter of the ballroom. She was met by a round of applause--or at least a pair of hands clapping, which was just as surprising. She blushed and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Well, I didn't know I had an audience!"

"What was that you were talking about?" Ferio asked, helping her down the ladder.

"Edgar Allan Poe's _The Raven_, a poem from my world." Her words took him aback for a moment--it was easy to forget she was from another world. Though her dress was conservative by Cephiran standards, it was a far cry from her school uniform--this was a flowing thing in a soft pale gold, with the sleeves cuffed and the skirt split to allow more freedom of movement. It was a reflection of the wearer, Ferio thought with a smile. Both beautiful and practical. 

"Weird. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it. Don't you think you've been working a little hard on setting this up?"

"Of course not! I've only been awake since six this morning." Ferio got a sweatdrop.

"You need a break. I am going to take you out to dinner," he told her.

Fuu blushed again. "That's very kind of you. Ferio, but I--"

"You what?"

"Well, we're installing the sound system tonight. I told Geo and Zazu how to do it, but they--"

"They don't need you looking over their shoulders all the time! Like I said, you are taking a break, and we are going out to dinner."

To Ferio's surprise, she smiled. "All right, if you insist."

Ferio took her hand, and they left the ballroom. "Do you know any more of this Ed-gar Al-len Poe?" he asked, pronouncing it slowly.

"Not by heart," Fuu replied. "But I have a book. I can show it to you, if you'd like."

"Maybe later tonight," Ferio replied. "You should change before we eat dinner. The restaurant is really fancy."

"Back where I come from, this would be considered really fancy," Fuu replied, indicating her clothing. "A fancy restaurant? Are you sure you can afford it?"

"Money is no object," he said. "I am a prince, remember?"

"Yes...you make it easy to forget, though. I like that about you," she told him rather matter-of-factly, and it was Ferio's turn to blush. They came to her door, and she opened it. "You wait out here," she told him. "I'll be out in a moment."

Ferio nodded.

"And don't you dare peek!"

Ferio turned his back, whistling innocently. Fuu shut the door.

It seemed as if her wardrobe had grown tremendously since she'd arrived in Cephiro; for a moment, she was overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing anything. However, she soon ruled out those that she was pretty sure were too casual, and settled on one made of dark green satin and velvet, with a matching emerald headband. She took one final look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, then left the room.

"This is all right, isn't it?" she asked Ferio. He didn't reply, though his mouth was hanging open.

He thought she had looked pretty before! Well, she would look beautiful in just about anything, but this was absolutely breathtaking. The tight velvet bodice was cut low enough to show off her slender shoulders, but not so much as to be immodest. The skirt was just long enough to brush the floor, so that she had to hold it up with one hand when she walked.

"Ferio?"

"Um, yeah, you look--very nice," he stuttered, struggling to return his mind to the present. "I mean...really, really beautiful." He knelt to kiss her hand, smiling at the ring--_his_ ring, he thought happily, with a rush of pardonable pride--then stood up again. "Are you ready, my Lady?"

"Yes, Ferio, whenever you are."

*

"Eagle Vision?"

That voice could only belong to one person--the only one who called him by his full name, for one thing, but also the only voice that sounded so sweet one wondered how it managed to stay on the right side of disgusting. 

"Good evening, Solana," Eagle replied.

"A good evening, indeed," she replied, "though a bit cold for my tastes."

"Oh." Eagle unhooked his cape and offered it to her.

"Thank you," she accepted, wrapping it around herself. "You are very kind."

"I was just doing what any gentleman would have done."

"Oh, I can think of _some people_ who would not even offer," Solana replied bitterly.

"Your ex-boyfriend?" wondered Eagle.

"Yeah. Man, am I glad I'm rid of him." Solana sniffled, then threw herself at Eagle. "No, I'm not!" she cried. "I miss him so much!"

"It's okay," Eagle told her softly. "If you really do love each other, I'm sure things will turn out okay."

"But he's taking her to the ball," she whined.

"Well, at least he isn't taking your_ best friend_ to the ball," Eagle replied bitterly.

"That's awful!"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. It's not like she's dumped me, but...I know it won't take long." He looked down at his shoes. "It's for the better, I guess. At least we'll still be friends..."

Solana slapped his cheek. "That never works, don'tcha know that?"

"Hey!"

"Don't you see? People say that all the time when they're breaking up, but it never works, you understand? That's what L--that's what my boyfriend told me--that we were just gonna be friends! It means it's over, and it just causes you more pain. You gotta take a stand, Eagle Talon--you can't let your girl just slip through your fingers!"

"But if she'll be happier..."

"She won't be happy with anyone but you," Solana told him firmly. _At least, she'd better not be!_ "And unless you go in for love triangles--"

"She did say she loved us both...but the kind of love, I guess I don't know anymore. I've been awfully silly about the whole thing. I guess that's what happens when you're unconscious for a long time." Eagle grinned in spite of himself. "I even started naming our children."

"See? You really do love her." Solana sighed happily. "And as angry as I am with L--er, my ex, I know that I still love him. Everything has to turn out all right." She took a stance in front of Eagle, sweeping her borrowed cloak out around her. "We just have to make it happen."

Eagle stared at her. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"I've got a plan, Eagle," Solana said. "We'll go to the ball together, and break up that couple so we can have our own true loves to ourselves!"

"That couple?"

"Er...those two couples," Solana amended quickly. "So, what do you think?"

"Having a date as beautiful as you will make up for any disappointment," Eagle replied. "What do I have to lose?"

*

End of Part One. Intermission. Eat your candy now and don't get the seats sticky, okay?


	2. Conclusion

Part Two

Part Two

Hikaru found Lantis staring out a window, and she peeked around him to see what he was looking at. "What are you watching?" she asked.

"Eagle," Lantis replied. "He's out there with someone."

"Huh? Who's that?"

"I think her name is Solana. She sure seems taken with Eagle."

"Oh." Hikaru sounded sad. "Well, um, have you found Primera yet?"

Lantis shook his head. "No, but Guru Clef might know. Let's go find him."

They found Guru Clef directing Asuka and Sang Yung in hanging decorations for the ball. "A little to the left...no, too far, too far, back to the right just a little...and now up just about two inches..."

"Guru Clef, is the perfect positioning of this banner going to somehow enhance the experience of this ball at all?" Asuka demanded.

Clef blushed. "Well..."

"Guru Clef!" Lantis said. The magician jumped.

"Uh, what?" he said.

"We're looking for Primera," Hikaru said. "She's been missing for days, and we thought maybe you'd be able to help us find her."

Clef nodded. "I see." He stretched. "Well, let me see what I can do." He held his staff aloft. "_Neyan_!" he cried, and looked into the large jewel of his staff. Colors swirled inside of it.

"There are no pixies within range," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Where could she be?" Lantis said, his tone bordering on frantic. "I didn't think she would run away on me like this..."

"She'll turn up, Lantis, I'm sure," Hikaru said.

"Hey, since you're here, would you mind helping set up for the ball?" Clef asked.

"No problem," Hikaru replied, grinning.

__

Ascot is going to love this. Umi surveyed her finished piece of work with a proud smile. She had designed for him a new outfit for the ball, taking the best of Earth and Cephiran styles and combining them into something she was extremely proud of.

__

Maybe today he'll actually say what he's been hinting at all this time...she thought dreamily. It was an hour or two past midnight now, and everyone else had long since left the dressmaking room. _I'm probably the only one still awake, _she thought, as she blew out the lamps and opened the door to leave.

That was when she discovered she was wrong.

A figure shrouded in a cloak was creeping by, and it jumped when Umi shut the door. Umi blinked.

"Hello?" she said. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Shh!" the figure replied. "Do you want everyone to know?"

"Fuu?" Umi guessed. The cloaked figure sighed and nodded.

"It's me."

"Isn't that Ferio's cloak?" Umi asked, and then she gasped. "Oh, no, Fuu! You're just fifteen, you shouldn't have-"

"I knew that was what you'd think," Fuu sighed. "But we went out to dinner, and I taught him to play chess afterwards. We were just playing chess, and it got late, and we didn't realize it. Really."

"Of you, I believe it," Umi sighed. "Well, that doesn't change the fact that it's rather late. We should get back to our rooms."

"Yes," Fuu replied. "Why are you up so late?"

"I've designed a new outfit for Ascot to wear to the ball tomorrow-no, it's tonight now, isn't it?" Umi giggled happily. "I just can't wait."

"And if we don't get to sleep soon, we're going to be sleeping through the ball," Fuu replied.

"I'm not even very tired," Umi replied. "But I guess you're right."

"Is it true that Eagle is taking a girl called Solana to the ball and not going with Lantis and Hikaru?" Fuu asked suddenly. "I know it seems strange and awkward, but from what I understood, the three of them were happy together."

"Maybe this means that Hikaru can finally make up her mind," Umi replied. "If only Ascot would ask me..."

"Ask you...?"

"To marry him! What else?"

"He hasn't? I was under the impression that..."

Umi blushed. "Well, uh...I know he wants to, he's just shy."

"I suppose," Fuu replied.

"Well, we should really get some sleep now. G'night, Fuu."

"Good night, Umi."

As the next day dawned, Lantis was already up and about, taking a walk in the courtyard of the palace. He suddenly realized that he was not the only one who had decided to come out to see the sunrise.

Solana sat on a bench with her back to him, her green hair cascading down her back freely. He crept up on her silently.

__

So beautiful...

Lantis! he scolded himself. _You shouldn't think like that! She's Eagle's girlfriend now, and you're going with Hikaru..._

She was so taken with the sunrise that she did not see him approach, nor sit down beside him. She continued to watch the sunrise, while Lantis was content just to look at her.

__

A presence I've not felt since...

"It's Solana, right?"

Solana turned slowly to look at him. "Lantis..." she said softly.

"Lantis!" someone else called. Hikaru. "You still haven't picked an outfit for the ball!"

Solana slapped him.

"Hey!"

"You indelicate twerp! Haven't you done enough to ruin my life?" Solana ran off, leaving Lantis confused.

"What did I do?" he said softly.

"She slapped you?" Hikaru said, noticing the red handprint on Lantis's cheek.

"I don't know why she did that," Lantis replied. "I know I've seen her somewhere before, but..."

"Don't worry about it. There's only twelve hours until the ball starts, and you've got to be prepared!"

__

In Cephiro, people don't marry. They simply fall in love and stay together. We had to teach them what it means to be married.

Still, it shouldn't be so difficult for Ascot to ask me!

Umi sighed and turned her attention to the finishing touches of her own dress. _After this, I'm done. No more dresses to make, no more suits to sew..._

Just an afternoon to spend doing nothing! Boring...

Eagle came into the sewing room. "Hi, Umi," he said. "I have to see this suit..."  
"Oh, all right," Umi said, putting down her dress for a moment. "It's finished, I think you'll like it. No frills, but nice. Would you like to try it on? There's a screen back in that corner."

Eagle took the clothing she offered. "Thanks, I think I will." He walked over behind the screen and began undressing, while Umi returned to working on her dress.

"So, uh, what's up with you and Solana, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.

"Solana's a nice girl. She's cute," Eagle replied from behind the screen.

"Cuter than Hikaru?"

Eagle froze, and sighed. "Of course not," he said, pausing to pull a shirt on over his head. "But Hikaru is going with Lantis. You of Earth don't usually date with more than one person."

"But I thought that Hikaru loved both of you."

"I thought so, too," Eagle laughed. "But I should have known all along that Lantis was a better match for her."

"You don't believe it," Umi said. "I can tell that you don't, so don't deny it."

"We'll see what happens tonight," Eagle said, emerging from behind the screen. "What do you think?"

"Marvelous," Umi replied. "Splendid. Hikaru will be jealous."

"That's the idea," Eagle murmured as he went back to change into his normal attire.

__

Oh, Lantis, I know I was just a pixie, but now I'm a person, just like you! And if something goes wrong tonight...I put all my magic into turning into a human for you, Lantis! You know how long it took me to recover after that? Primera knew that he couldn't hear her thoughts, but it was close enough to venting that she was somewhat relieved by it.

"Stupid Lantis! Why do I have to be in love with you?" she cried. Ferio heard someone yelling in the empty garden and stopped to listen, curious. "Stupid Hikaru, thinking she can steal _my _Lantis! Everyone loves her, why does she have to take him from me? He saved my life!"

All of a sudden, the mystery of Primera's disappearance was solved.

__

So Solana and the pixie are one in the same, Ferio thought. _But she's going with Eagle, who is moping about because Hikaru is going with Lantis, but Lantis is moping about because Primera is missing, and Hikaru gives wistful looks at Eagle when she thinks no one is watching..._

This is going to be an interesting dance, indeed!

Fuu peeked into Hikaru's room. "You're not dressed yet?" she said softly. "The dance will begin soon. You should change into your new dress. It's so pretty. Red silk."

"I know," Hikaru sighed. "Lantis will be here soon."

"What's wrong?" Fuu asked, sitting down beside her. "You're not your usual self."

"I feel awful," Hikaru sighed. "I didn't realize how much I hurt Eagle's feelings."

"Eagle is going to the dance with Solana. His feelings do not seem to be so dangerously damaged. What are you really upset about?"

"I've been with Lantis all day, and all he does is look for Primera. I thought she was just a nuisance to him, always buzzing around, but now he misses her! He's certainly not going to be happy at the ball tonight, and it rubs off on me. And Eagle is..."

"Hikaru?"

"I don't know, I don't know! I don't understand. Let me get dressed. I'll talk to you tonight."

Fuu nodded and left the room. Ferio was waiting.

"Fuu, I know where Primera is."

Ascot held Umi's arm a little awkwardly as they walked into the ballroom together. He looked both proud and nervous in the outfit Umi had made for him. Umi looked around the ballroom in awe. "No wonder it took so long to decorate this room," she said. "It's beautiful."

"That's right, you've been cooped up in the sewing room all this time," Fuu laughed, walking up to them with Ferio. In one of her hands she held a goblet of green punch; her other arm was linked with Ferio's. "You should hear the sound system we've installed."

"Zazu, _no!_" Geo Metro said, running after the little mechanic. "You cannot spike the punch!"

The two Magic Knights and their dates laughed. "Have you seen Hikaru?" Umi wondered.

"No," Fuu replied. "She should be here any minute, though. The band is ready to start."

"Umi! Fuu! Ferio! Ascot!" Solana rushed up to the four of them, dragging Eagle. "Hey, nice place for a ball, huh?"

"She's so cute," Fuu laughed to Ferio.

"Yeah," Ferio replied. "Like a pixie," he added a little pointedly. Solana looked up at him nervously, then shrugged and laughed her bell-like laugh.

"So, when are they going to start the music?" she asked.

"Any second now," Fuu replied. Eagle was watching the doorway.

"So, which one's your ex-boyfriend?" Eagle asked Solana absently. The ballroom was swarming with people.

"Oh, he's not here yet," Solana replied. The band struck up a waltz, and the music was amplified from all corners of the ballroom by the speakers Fuu had insisted be installed.

"Umi, uh...would you, I mean...um, would you like to...ah..."

"I'd love to dance with you, Ascot!" Umi replied cheerfully, and they waltzed away.

"Fuu?" Ferio asked. She nodded, and they, too, began to dance.

"Shall we?" Eagle asked Solana.

"Sure, why not?" Solana replied. "Just let me warn you, though, I've never danced before."

"You haven't?"

"Not waltzing, anyway. In the p-where I'm from, we didn't have the same kind of dances."

"Well, it's not so difficult. Just listen to the rhythm and step-watch me, now-one, two, three, one two three..." he counted aloud while Solana watched. "And then I'll hold your hand here, and you put yours on my shoulder...okay?"

"Let's go," Solana said. "I think I've got it." She didn't, quite, but only stepped on Eagle's feet twice before she got the hang of it.

Finally, Lantis and Hikaru entered the ballroom.

"We appear to be somewhat late," Hikaru said. "Shall we dance?"

"I want to get something to drink," Lantis replied.

"Oh, come on, just one set?" Hikaru begged.

"All right," Lantis sighed, and they also began to dance. They found Asuka dancing with Guru Clef and Tatra dancing with Sang Yung, Lafarga with Caldina and Geo Metro with Tarta. Zazu was hanging around the punch bowl waiting until no one was looking when Presea approached him.

"Might I have this dance?" she asked him, giggling, then swung him away before he had a chance to react.

It wasn't until five songs later that Hikaru allowed Lantis to get a drink, and she saw Umi, Fuu, and Solana heading for her.

"Hikaru, we didn't see you!" Umi said. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, Lantis and I were dancing," she replied. "Where are your guys?"

"Congregating around the refreshment table with Lantis," Fuu said. "So, what do you think of the ballroom?"

"Oh, it's lovely," Hikaru sighed. The band struck up a different beat, and people on the dance floor began to organize into squares of four couples.

"Oh, look, they're square dancing!" Hikaru exclaimed, forgetting her depression. "How cool!"

Only it was a different sort of square-dancing than the girls were used to. The caller named it the "Chizetan Reel", and Fuu watched the dancers closely, trying to pick up the steps.

"Let's see..." she said softly. Fuu held her hands in front of her as if to hold those of her invisible partner. "Step, hop, step, hop, slide, hop, step, hop..."

"Oh, I get it!" Hikaru took her hands, and they tried it together. "Step, hop, step, hop, step, crap! hop, step..." Umi and Solana giggled as they tried to get back with the beat. They spun, and then Fuu grabbed Umi's hands, and Hikaru took Solana's. They danced, still somewhat clumsily, laughing at themselves, until the boys returned. Now the music was changing.

"Is the song over already?" Hikaru wondered, disappointed.

"It's the middle set," Ferio replied. "You girls weren't so bad-for beginners." He looked to Lantis. "Shall we show them how it's done. Lantis frowned and shook his head, blushing, so Ferio held his hands out to Eagle, who took them, and they leaped into the dance.

The girls giggled, watching Ferio move with such enthusiasm. Eagle moved a bit stiffly at first-it had been years since he'd danced the Chizetan Reel, and Ferio had to drag him a bit. The swordsman's enthusiasm was contagious, though, and Eagle soon perked up. The others clapped, watching Ferio spin Eagle with a wild grin on his face. He winked at Fuu and deposited Eagle in front of Hikaru, who smiled at him and took his hands. Ferio reached for Fuu, and Ascot took Umi's hands, leaving Lantis and Solana.

"What are you waiting for? We need a square!" Ferio said. Solana smiled and took Lantis's hands, and the two of them stared at each other, moving awkwardly in the dance. Eagle and Hikaru looked happier than they had all night, and even Ascot was starting to loosen up.

After they were finished playing the Chizetan Reel, the band took a break, and some DJ was playing a song from Earth on the sound system-A song off a CD that Umi had brought. Fuu recognized it as the Beatles song called "Something."

__

Something in the way she moves...

Ascot stared at Umi and took a deep breath. "Umi, there's something you told me about, that on Earth, means that you care about them very much."

"Yes?" Umi replied.

"Um...Well...what I'm trying to say is, well...Umi, will you marry me?"

"It's about time that you ask me!" Umi replied cheerfully, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"Is that a yes?" Ascot wondered. Umi pulled away from him and nodded, grinning, and he pressed a ring into her hand.

__

I don't want to leave her now...

"Lantis," Solana said. "Do you know who I am?"

"Primera," Lantis replied. "I didn't know it until this moment, but-now I do. It's strange."

"Oh, Lantis," Solana-no, Primera sobbed. "Why did you have to choose her over me?"

"I only saw you as a pixie," Lantis replied. "But now, here you are, and I can see...that I don't want to leave you."

"Eagle and Hikaru belong together," Primera said. "They'll figure it out eventually, but I've known it all along."

"I'll bet you have," Lantis laughed, and Primera threw herself into his arms.

__

You're asking me, will my love grow?

"Eagle?" Hikaru said softly. "Aren't you going to go back to Solana?"

Eagle shook his head. "She's dancing with Lantis, now," he said. "And look at them, they can't keep their eyes off each other."

"She's Primera, isn't she," Hikaru sighed. "I should have seen that a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," Eagle said.

"No, don't be," Hikaru said. "I'm the one who should be sorry. For hurting you the way I did. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive you for," Eagle replied. "You simply love Lantis, it's not your fault."

"No, I don't love Lantis," Hikaru said firmly, shaking her head. "Not the way that I love you. So, please, forgive me."

"I love you too, Hikaru," Eagle replied, a little shocked but washed over with happiness. "I could forgive you of just about anything." Hikaru laughed and buried her head in his chest, crying tears of happiness.

__

Stick around now, it may show...

Ferio looked at Primera and Lantis, then to Eagle and Hikaru, and back to Fuu. "Everyone looks happy," he said. "I told you everything would come out all right."

"Only because you forced Lantis and Primera to dance together? They would have come out together whether you did or not. Same with Eagle and Hikaru."

"I suppose," Ferio said. "You've never been wrong before." Fuu giggled. "I still don't think the future's going to be easy for them."

"What about us?"

"Hmm?"

Fuu sighed. "You're talking about them, but what's the future going to be like for us?"

Ferio thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I can't predict the future," he said. "But it can't be too bad, so long as I can be with the one that I love." Fuu laughed and kissed his lips.

__

Something in the way she knows  
That all I have to do is think of her  
Something in her smile that shows me  
I don't want to leave her now  
You know I believe and how

The End

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